Sweetness and Secrets
by Fledgling
Summary: Holiday gift!fic for tragicamente. Oneshot. Kagome smiled a quirky smile at Miroku as he approached, one finger rising to her halfparted lips. Everyone was allowed to have one secret.


A/N: Gift!fic for dear Faith. Prompts were: "silver", "sweetness", "little things". Enjoy everyone! Crit embraced and sought for, but praise is lovely too.

Word count: 910

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_Sweetness and Secrets_

It was amazing how quickly little things could grow large.

Kagome never knew that things would become so complicated. Or that she would end up hiding so many secrets, both in her own time and the past. Kagome felt stunned, slightly, that her emotions had taken such a turn; and wondered if the girl who broke the Shikon no Tama was gone forever.

She was supposed to be loyal to Inuyasha. Miroku was supposed to fall in love with Sango. They would defeat Naraku, she'd purify the Shikon jewel, and create a happy, happy ending.

But then again, it was supposed to be "just right" for Kikyou-sama too. And to be completely honest, Kagome wasn't interested in becoming like Kikyou. She was strong, right? Then she should be allowed to use her strength to change her own destiny. It didn't have to be the way everyone expected.

It wasn't like she was going to make life miserable for everyone. She was still going to try her best and defeat Naraku, and purify the jewel when, and if, the time came. The plan had not changed. Except…

She was going to end up with Miroku, instead. Kagome tangled a hand in her pleated skirt, feeling anxious.

"I love him." This she tells herself over and over again. "I love him, so it's okay. It's not like I'm promised to anyone," Kagome thinks. "It's no sin to love who you want. I'm not doing anything wrong."

She thought guiltily of Houjo. Her skirt was a thick, wrinkled ball.

Kagome wasn't going to abandon her search for the jewel shards. No. She was just straying from the one aspect in her life that she wasn't responsible for anyway. Inuyasha had another woman. He didn't need her. There really was no reason to feel guilty.

Kagome smiled a quirky smile at Miroku as he approached, one finger rising to her half-parted lips. Everyone was allowed to have one secret.

----

"No, Miroku." Kagome yanked her arm out of his grasp, suddenly annoyed. Things had gone too far. "Stop it! Inuyasha will be back any minute."

There was that familiar worry, pulsing in her veins, making her indecisive and excited. She looked away, trying to smother a giggle that rose in her heart.

"Don't worry," he said, waving a lecherous hand dismissively. He was looking at her again, all sweetness. A charming, boyish smile teased his lips, coaxing her to agree. "I'll make it worth your while."

Then he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

A tiny smile fluttered on her lips, but she turned firmly around, placing her fingers on the handles of her bike and pushing it through the rough dirt road. She refuses to think of anything concerning Miroku, and shakes her head quickly, muttering to herself and willing his smug, self-assured smile out of her mind. She knows she looks foolish, and she knows she's being irritable, but there is a beating in her that comes from more than her normal thrill of being in the Feudal Era. It is fear, and irrationally, she imagines what will happen if they are caught…frolicking like this.

She also knows Miroku is now stalking her.

It's impossible not to hear him. His long robes had a tendency to swish when he walked quickly, and her ears have become finely tuned to the sound. He likes to sneak up on her when she's not looking, and sometimes, depending on his mood, he's even daring enough to hug her waist and peck her on the cheek—all before someone notices. Most of the time, she's riding on Inuyasha's back, and he's following with Sango on Kirara, but the rare moments when they're walking together make Kagome feel like she's going to die young. From a heart attack.

Initiated by that perverted monk, of course.

Sometimes she questions this, what the two of them have together. It means a lot to her, but life chasing Naraku and fighting demons and dealing with death has worn her down, making her wonder how much longer this will last. Kagome isn't sure she wants to make this bigger than it is already, but then again, things have already changed. It's moved beyond the first, nervous, rushed, and chaste kiss. It's more than a little _thing_ they have for each other. It's a huge, burning flame, and she doesn't know how much longer she can hide it…before everything starts to burn.

"Kagome," he says silkily.

She whips around just in time to see his eyes sparkling at her with a silver, devious light.

"Miroku," she begins, looking exasperated. "I…"

Still, somehow, he manages to surprise her, and before she knows it, the bike has clattered to the ground, her backpack has slipped off her shoulders, and her face is looking up at his. One of his hands grabs her arm tightly, the other delicately raising her chin, forcing her eyes to look into his. A wild, breathless heat inflames her body, and then he's leaning down to kiss her, turning the world upside down and overboard and making everything spin. She feels his strong arms supporting her back, and she feels like she's going to collapse, but it's all right, because her Miroku is there. He'll always be there. He'll be waiting on the other side of her world, where the flowers are still beautiful, the trees are tall, demons roam the land--

And her lips can savour the sweetness of his own.


End file.
